AIMS hosted a virtual session on “NEP 2020: National Higher Education Qualification Framework” as part of their Inspiring Young Leaders series on November 17, 2023. Professor Furquan Qamar, Department of Management Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, discussed India’s late adoption of the National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) compared to other nations. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive framework, touching on entry/exit requirements, credit systems, and learning outcomes. India, Professor Qamar argued, must integrate vocational frameworks, the National Higher Education Credit Framework (NHECrF), and the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) into NHEQF, necessitating the review of existing regulations.
The NHEQF, meant to cover all disciplines, demands endorsement from regulatory bodies and professional councils, posing a challenge given UGC’s predominant role in non-technical education. Professor Qamar suggested the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) as a suitable body for NHEQF’s evolution, emphasizing the need for broad consensus. The session, moderated by Narayana Reddy, shed light on the complexities facing higher education in India and the imperative for a cohesive and forward-looking qualification framework.